Congress in Your Community: A County Official's Guide to In-District Engagement

Many members represent large geographic areas with multiple district offices. Identify the district office closest to your county or the one that handles your area. You can your representative or senator using NACo’s Grassroots webpage. Once you know who to contact, navigate to their website to see their in-district office locations.  

Your email should be no more than three short paragraphs. Identify who you are, what area you represent, why you're reaching out, what you're asking to discuss and what format you're proposing (in-office meeting or site visit). Use the template below as your starting point.

Template: Meeting Request Email

To: [District Staff]

Subject: Meeting Request – [Your Title, Name and County]

Dear [District Staffer’s Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I serve as [Title] for [County Name] County, home to [population] residents. I'm writing to request a meeting with [Representative/Senator Name] while they are in-district for the upcoming district work period.

I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss [one or two specific issues, e.g., "the impact of FEMA reimbursement delays on our county's disaster recovery capacity" or "county priorities in the upcoming Farm Bill reauthorization"].[Optional: I'd also like to invite the member to visit [specific facility or project] to see firsthand how federal investment is serving our community.]

I'm available on [dates and times – ideally at least 2/3 options]. I can be reached at [phone] or [email]. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to connecting.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Title], [County Name] County

• Keep requests, especially in-office meetings, to 30 minutes. It's enough time to deliver your message, make your ask and allow for conversation — while being mindful of your member’s busy schedule.
• Be flexible on participants. If the member can't meet, ask if a district staffer would be available to speak to instead. A staff meeting is better than no meeting.
• Follow up. If you don't hear back within a week, a follow-up call or email to the district office is appropriate. Inboxes are busy and things get missed, so don’t be afraid to reach out again if you do not hear back.
• Coordinate with NACo. NACo's Government Affairs staff can help you identify the right contact, flag priority opportunities during recess windows and align your outreach with broader county advocacy. We can also suggested data or written resources to have ready for your meetings. Reach out to us so we can help you strengthen your advocacy!

• Define your ask clearly. Identify one to two specific, actionable requests — co-sponsor a bill, support a funding stream, oppose a policy change. Vague asks don't move people to action.
• Research the member's priorities. Review their committee assignments and recent public statements. Frame your county's issue in terms of their interests where there's genuine overlap.
• Prepare a one-page county fact sheet. Include population, budget, key services, and one or two data points specific to your issue. NACo’s County Explorer is a great resource you can leverage in building this fact sheet. Bring enough copies for everyone in the room.
• Prepare your local story. Numbers open doors; stories close deals. Have one concrete, real-world example that illustrates the stakes for residents in your county. Remember, your member of Congress is an intergovernmental partners in serving your community – your residents are their residents.
• Brief your team. Go over each person’s role before the in-office meeting or site visit: who leads the meeting or tour, who is in charge of making sure each talking point is covered and who takes notes.
• Contact NACo Government Affairs staff. We are here to provide the national county position on an issue, share updated policy context, help think through talking points and offer information on how your member is positioned on certain issues. Let us know how we can support you in accomplishing county’s advocacy goals.

• Choose the right location. Pick a site that tells a story quickly and visually — a bridge in need of repair, an emergency communications center, a housing development or a new community center. Avoid sites that require lengthy explanation to understand, that are not relevant to current policy conversations or that are overly crowded.
• Keep the agenda tight. A 30–45 minute site visit is ideal. Plan for brief welcome remarks, a guided tour or walkthrough, testimony from county staff experts or affected residents and close with your main ask.
• Let the site tell its own story. The power of a site visit is showing, not telling. Resist the urge to fill every moment with talking points. Leave time for the member to explore the area and ask questions.
• Involve county staff or residents. A department director, frontline worker or community member who can speak firsthand to impact is more persuasive than any talking point. Brief them in advance but keep it conversational.
• Consider a media and social media plan. If the visit is positive, make sure to ask if you can take a photo together. Tag the member when posting (with their permission) and share your advocacy work with your constituents. If you plan to invite a local or national news organization, be sure to communicate and confirm with the member’s office well ahead of the site visit.
• Have materials ready to hand off. Give the member or their staff a one-pager at the end with an overview of what they say, your key ask, local data related to the facility and your contact information. Make it easy for the member to remember your conversation and share information with staff or colleagues.

• Arrive early, leave on time. Arrive 5–10 minutes early. If the meeting is running over, gracefully offer to wrap up — respecting the schedule builds goodwill for next time.
• Open with who you are and where you're from. Staff see dozens of visitors. A clear, 30-second introduction — your name, role, county, and what you plan to discuss anchors the conversation immediately.
• Be conversational, not presentational. Come prepared, but avoid reading directly from talking points. Speak as you would with a knowledgeable colleague. Bring notes as a reference rather than a script, and allow the conversation to evolve naturally if staff raise questions or want to discuss related issues.
• Listen actively. If the member or staff raises a concern or counterpoint, engage with it directly. Offer to send over information after the meeting if you do not have it on hand. Taking notes demonstrates that you're treating the meeting as a dialogue.
• Staff meetings matter just as much. If you're meeting with a district staffer rather than the member, bring the same preparation and respect. Staff members who handle your issue area will report back to the member, and will be the person they turn to for recommendations on that issue area.

• Confirm meeting time, location, and attendee list the morning of or the day before
• Bring printed one-pagers and county data
• Bring business cards for all attendees
• Bring something to take notes
• Know your primary ask in one sentence
• Plan to send thank-you and any follow up information within 24 hours